Banner: Utv Motion Pictures
Cast: Salman Khan, Lauren Gottlieb, Prince Gupta, Dharmesh Yelande, Mayuresh Wadkar, Vrushali Chavan, Prabhu Deva, Ganesh Acharya...
Direction: Remo DSouza
Production: Siddharth Roy Kapur
Music: Sachin, Jigar
What is it all about
Its time to boogie woogie on screen.. Indian cinema which is rich and famous for its songs and dance (and should always remain to be) celebrates its centenary year with flashy explosions of certified youth energy in rhythm with the new 3D
technology that has just enough smarts, sweat, legs and swagger steps that you can't help but move your feet.
UTV Spot Boy and Remo DSouza who after the success of 'Faltu' goes beyond youth to the 'young' at heart by claiming 'Anybody can dance' in this dance flick. Having dancing legend Prabhudeva in the centre stage of this story of TV dance shows and its glory in 'ABCD' where the dancing works early and often with emotion that takes a 3D pleasure in taking a technological step forward.
The Story
Definitely not a 'step up' in bollywod plots, ABCD team of writers Remo, Tushar Hiranandani (screenplay) and Bhanu Pratap Singh (associate) derive a reliable guilty pleasure that takes a dramatic step backward in this technological step forward. Vishnu (Prabhudheva), widely regarded as India's best dancer, dance is more than a passion - it's the reason he lives! So when he finds himself thrown out from the swish dance academy JDC he himself set up, by his manipulative business partner Jahangir (K.K. Menon), it feels like the oxygen has been sucked out from the air he breathes.
Heart-broken, Vishnu decides to give up dance and leave Mumbai forever. However the night before his departure he witnesses a most amazing sight - a group of dancers lead by Salman Yusuf Khan and Dharmesh Yelande preparing for the upcoming Ganpati Dance Battle - an annual festival that pits Mumbai's best dance groups against each other. Watching the raw talent of these amazing dancers helps Vishnu arrive at a decision - he will take this disparate group under his wing, help them overcome their personal rivalries and past demons and turn them into India's best dance squad!
What to look out for
How many dedicated dance flicks have you seen in bollywood .. Subash Babbar's (B.Subash) 'Disco Dancer' (1982) which contributed immensely in making 'Mithun Da' the legend he is today immediately comes first to your mind.. After that u will have to search..
Remo and UTV Spot boy's ABCD oozes a considerable amount of energy and has its heart at the right place.. bang on target right from the first shot where we see the finales of a popular dance we are 'in' it knowing what it can offer as a dance flick.. the impression is maintain as K.K. Menon as the shrewd manipulative owner of a popular dance academy gives a brilliant performance.. the characters are identifiable in Remo's simple and easy narration which gains considerable heights by his choreography that puts all its heart in those dancing feet's. the dance looks really fantastic where Remo uses 3D to full effect, holding the viewer in complete attention when the dances are on either on stage or in rain..
The jumps are high, the movements sharp and the choreography heart-pounding.. Though cliche there are some emotional high as well during the process where 'Lagaan' meets 'Chak De' to give a mind-blowing final dance finale with spectacular use of props and lights.
The 'Ganapati' final dance finale is the major highlight and full of generous exuberance..
The dance India fame dancers who turn actors here are impressive especially Salman Yusuf Khan and Dharmesh Yelande who deliver from feet and face as well. The 'So You Think You Can Dance' fame American import Lauren Gottlieb is gorgeous and it's a treat to see her move with those legs. Saroj Khan is fine.
The Junkie, the south Indian fan and Ganesh Acharya give adequate support.. last but not the least Prabhudeva the Indian dance legend may have a Tamil accent to his Hindi but he is in command over here..his solo dance just before the interval is a 'paisa vasool' moment for those who love to
see his moves.
Technicalities are up to mark where Vijay Kumar Arora does a spectacular job with his lenses and Manan Sagar's editing gives it a sharp and crisp feel to the film.
Sachin Jigar's music keeps the dancers and the viewers on its feet.
What not
Why Remo who is a popular dance guru on small screen kept himself out from the dancing floor action.. He is the helmer but he could have easily placed himself in the plot as a dance guru from the rival JDC dance school from where Prabhudeva gets thrown out.. though he appears during the end credits... a dance involving Prabhudeva and Remo in the main feature could have added more commercial value to this dance flick and given it a new high.. some innovations in the plot would have been better.. the romance is missing.. And there is no popular hit dance number to hum along while you dance.
Conclusion: ABCD is worth a ticket for its high-energy spectacular dancing that gets better with 3D and those emotional points it delivers and has a considerable 'Beign young'at hear t and feet appeal. Go for it.
Rating ***and 1/2
Review by: Vishal Verma (indiaglitz.com)
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